[OpenLayers-Dev] [OpenLayers-PSC] PSC composition?

[Tim Schaub]

Hey-

I strongly agree with the principles Dave discusses below.

Tim

Dave McIlhagga wrote:
> Cameron,
> 
> One of the founding principles of OSGeo was the concept of individual  
> meritocracy -- not corporate merit. This was done intentionally,  
> following the Apache model to ensure that the best people were  
> represented in the organization and their projects, irrespective of  
> their corporate affiliation. This is also why Sponsorship is kept very  
> much at an arm's length from having any direct influence benefits into  
> the organization.
> 
> One very real issue with corporate representation -- what if an  
> individual developer on the PSC leaves the organization? Is his  
> position on the PSC therefore lost? This is the separation between  
> individual contribution and influence vs. direct corporate influence  
> that I believe is critical for the integrity of these projects.
> 
> I think this is a critical principle to uphold in order to preserve  
> the "arm's length" objective of OSGeo and it's projects from the  
> institutional contributors (be it financial or in-kind)
> 
> 
> One goal of a particular PSC may be (and probably should be) to find  
> balance in terms of individuals who represent various sources of  
> contributions -- but I think this can be handled by recognizing the  
> appropriate individuals rather than having a direct seat at the table  
> for any one particular organization.
> 
> My 2 cents.
> 
> Dave
> 
> Dave McIlhagga
> www.dmsolutions.ca
> 
> 
> On 20-Nov-08, at 5:15 PM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
> 
>> Following on from a PSC discussion, ...
>>
>> I think it is right to discuss company/individual composition of the  
>> PSC.
>>
>> As projects like Openlayers grow, there is are changing dynamics
>> regarding how decisions are made, because developer composition moves
>> from volunteers (who are answerable to themselves) to paid employees
>> (who are answerable to their employers).
>>
>> Initially it makes sense that PSC membership is made up of  
>> individuals.
>> However, as developer mix increases to include more paid employees, I
>> think we need to consider company representation on the PSC. I don't
>> think others would disagree that the PSC is stronger when it has
>> representation from a diverse group of developers and organisations.
>>
>> So I think that when we propose someone for PSC membership we should
>> consider where they work, and the proportional representation of
>> companies on the PSC. In other PSCs, I have noticed developers from  
>> the
>> same company have a tendency to vote the same way. This is natural and
>> understandable. The developers are usually working on the same project
>> and have the same driving priorities and needs.
>>
>> I'd also like to bring out into open discussion the question of who we
>> have on the committee, what are the expectations of them. Whether we
>> only want technical people on the committee or whether non-coders  
>> should
>> be included too. I'd like to question the value of my involvement. I
>> haven't written Openlayers code for a year or two now, but do manage
>> developers who use Openlayers and occasionally contribute patches. I'm
>> comfortable with my role, providing rants like these to the email  
>> list,
>> but won't be offended if people suggest it would be time for me to  
>> retire.
>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Cameron Shorter
>> Geospatial Systems Architect
>> Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
>> Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254
>>
>> Think Globally, Fix Locally
>> Geospatial Solutions enhanced with Open Standards and Open Source
>> http://www.lisasoft.com
>>
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> 
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-- 
Tim Schaub
OpenGeo - http://opengeo.org
Expert service straight from the developers.